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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29219607">Rainbow Connection</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleuhue/pseuds/bleuhue'>bleuhue</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>OMORI (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, no beta we die like snaley, twins au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:27:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29219607</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleuhue/pseuds/bleuhue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The aftermath of Mari's death are simply too much for them. Two brothers become estranged due to the events that have transpired.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>90</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Rainbow Connection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mari was gone. It was surreal. He still couldn’t believe it, despite watching her casket be buried. It had only been a day, yet the atmosphere within the house completely changed. Mari truly was the light of their home, and now… This place had become dark and cold. Even his own brother had changed. Sunny was more fidgety than usual and tried avoiding looking him in the eyes. It hurt. He knew something was wrong with him, but he couldn’t do anything for him. How could he do something for Sunny, if he didn’t know how to help? For once, he cursed himself for not being as empathetic as Mari.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>These days he was thankful for Mewo’s presence. Even though Mewo was hurting just as much as them, he wanted to believe that Mewo was grateful to have him comfort them. Running his fingers through the cat’s soft fur, he watched as his father stormed into the living room. His father had taken Mari’s death hard, which made sense. Although, he could never understand what it meant to lose a daughter. What drew his attention particularly to his father, was the ax they held in their hand. His father yanked the door open, the awful sound of the door harshly being opened made him flinch. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Beyond that door was where Mari. It was where Mari. <em> Mari, Mari was… </em> Something soft nudged his hand, piercing his thoughts. He hadn’t realized he was breathing hard at remembering. When he saw Mari’s body hanging from their favorite tree. He screamed so loud his mother and father came rushing to his aid. He still couldn’t believe it. That Mari had hung herself. <em> Was it my fault? </em> Ah, he could feel tears starting to form. He never liked crying in front of others, except for Mari and Sunny. All he could do was cover his face in Mewo’s fur and hold them tight as if they were one of Sunny’s stuffed toys. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Mori… It’s okay, just breathe in and out. Let’s do it together.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He held Mewo tighter and absentmindedly stroked their fur. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “In…” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He took a deep breath in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Out…” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He exhaled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “That’s it. Keep on doing it Mori, I know you can.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In, out. In, out. It was becoming easier to breathe. He felt… Better. He loosened his hold on Mewo, scratching behind the black cat’s ears. The purr that emitted from the cat was enough to make him smile, “Sorry.” The cat didn’t seem to mind, purring loudly as he kept scratching them. Suddenly, Mewo had stopped purring and turned their head. It was his brother, Sunny. Sunny was quiet, but not this level of quiet. It was eerie. <em> I’m supposed to be the quiet one. </em> He wanted to say something but found himself unable to. It didn’t help that Sunny had walked past him towards the yard without a word. It was at that moment that Mewo leaped out of his arms and padded towards the door to the yard. He simply stared at the black cat, as it sat in front of the door and watched him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He shook his head. He didn’t want to go out there. Not to where Mari was that night. The black cat meowed at him as if telling him to suck it up and get over here. He shook his head at Mewo, who once again meowed at him. There was a moment of silence before he gathered the courage to make his way slowly to the yard. When he reached the door a wave of nausea decided now was the best time to hit him. He would have turned back, had it not been for Mewo. The black cat nuzzled his leg and meowed. He wasn’t brave. Mari was the brave one. Heck, even Mewo was much braver than him. Made sense though. <em> You’re her cat after all. </em> Then, came another meow from Mewo. Looking down at the cat, he bent down and gathered them in his arms for comfort.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The grass beneath his feet was not welcome. In, out, In, out. <em> I can do this. </em> In, out. In out. Eventually, he made it a little ways away from Sunny and their father. Their father was trying to chop down the same tree Mari had hung herself. Sunny on the other hand, was staring at the ground. Automatically, he rushed to his brother’s side. Even though he was hurting, he would be there for Sunny. He promised that he’d protect Sunny because that’s what brothers do. Brothers and sisters looked out for each other. With Mewo in his arms, he neared Sunny and tugged at their shirt. Sunny was unresponsive. He tugged again. Nothing… </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sunny?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His brother had lifted his head, albeit slowly. “What’s wrong?” He asked while tugging his brother’s shirt lightly. Again his brother didn’t respond, which did nothing to assuage his fears. It was only when Mewo had meowed in his arms, did his brother snap out of whatever funk he was in. He would have been happy if his brother didn’t decide to run away from him. The look on his brother’s face was indescribable, but he hated it. The sound of thumping from his father’s ax only became louder as he watched his brother’s retreating form.</p>
<hr/>
<p>He was thirsty. He woke up thirsty. The room was dark, it had to be midnight. When he glanced to the side, he could see his brother curled up in a ball, sleeping. Mewo was on his bed, watching him. Normally, he’d wake Sunny up when he needed to go to the kitchen. However, with how his brother was acting lately… He couldn’t bring himself to wake them up. When he quietly got up from his bed, he ignored the bed nearest to the entrance of their room. He could hear a faint thump, which meant Mewo would be his guide for the night. It was easier not to acknowledge it. What he didn’t expect was to hear muffled voices late into the night when he closed the door behind him, Mewo close behind him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Maybe he should have gone back to bed, but he was drawn to the muffled voices that were his parents without a doubt. A moth drawn to a flame he was, as he approached the door. He really shouldn’t have listened. His mother was sobbing and he could hear his father’s frustrated voice behind the door. While he couldn’t decipher what they were saying, he knew that it wasn’t a good thing. The silence that followed was unnerving, but Mewo was there yet again to comfort him. The black cat nuzzled his leg and padded back towards his and Sunny’s shared room. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I’m not thirsty anymore. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He slept that night with Mewo in his arms.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It happened over dinner. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Your mother and I are getting a divorce,” his father would say after they had finished eating.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The atmosphere in the room became even more suffocating than ever. He was frozen, and he could tell Sunny was too. He couldn’t say the news was that much of a shock, as the muffled voices of his parents that night warned him. It didn’t help that as the days passed, his father became more distant from them. The man he knew as his father was gone. All that was left was an empty shell. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sunny, Omori, it’s not your fault,” his mother would say. “Sometimes things don’t work out, and that’s okay. Just know that we both love you,” she would continue. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Whatever she said next, or what his father had said next was nothing more than static. <em>Why?</em> <em>Why? Why? Why? </em>The mantra of why’s continued as the static increased. Everything had been fine when Mari was here. Their father and mother would be gross and kiss each other during breakfast. When Sunny would talk to him and go on about the stupid events that transpired with Kel. When Mewo would try and get his attention to give up some of his breakfast. When Mari would laugh and tell Mewo that they had to eat their cat food. When Mari was here this house was filled with color. When Mari was here there was nothing but laughter. When Mari was here everything was much brighter. When Mari was here… <span class="u">When Mari was here, everyone was happy.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>There’s a hand on his shoulder, but the static hadn’t gone away. When he looked up, he saw his mother’s face painted with tears. He wanted nothing more than to reach up and wipe her tears, to wrap his arms around her. However, he found himself unable to do so. All he could do was stare at her, the static faintly echoing in his mind. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Omori, you are going to live with your father.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That was it. Everything else that night was a blur. He couldn’t remember going to bed, nor could he remember the face his brother had that night. Not even Mewo could comfort him. This was the first of many sleepless nights.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Eventually, the day had arrived. The day where he would leave this house behind. The day he would leave his mother and brother behind. All his stuff had been packed, and his father was currently packing what little belongings he had in the car. Unlike Sunny, he didn’t have an abundant collection of stuffed toys or knick-knacks. Items he could say that were solely his were his sketchbook and crayons. He liked drawing. He loved drawing his brother’s creations. Cat butler being one of them. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Speaking of cats, today would also be the last day he ever saw Mewo. Mewo was currently roaming somewhere, maybe to get away from this sad event. His parents were talking outside. They told him to go upstairs and spend some final moments with his brother. A job easier said than done, considering his brother was estranged from him. His brother became a stranger as time passed, but despite everything… He still loved him more than anything.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The two of them were on Sunny’s bed. It was awkward, to say the least. Still, he decided to take a chance and rest his head on his older brother’s shoulder. Sunny flinched and stiffened at the sudden action. It hurt that his brother would flinch because of him, but it didn’t hurt as much as knowing that they will be separated. It was due to that fact that he became much bolder. He took Sunny’s hand in his own, gently squeezing. “Hey Sunny?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A long pause was shared between them, before his brother responded, “Yeah?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can you promise me something?” Oh, how he hated how weak he sounded. Thankfully, his brother didn’t make fun of him for it. The hum that came from his brother was enough to continue, ''Promise me you'll write... Visit me, and be safe without me?'' Maybe he was asking too much from Sunny, but was that so bad? <em>I want you to be happy. </em> Unconsciously, he held his brother’s hand tighter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What he received was much greater than an answer. His brother finally looked at him and pulled him closer. They were hugging. He couldn’t remember the last time they hugged and that was enough to break the dam he had constructed. He was shaking and crying, wetting his brother’s shirt. When Sunny started rubbing circles on his back, he held them tighter. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I promise,” Sunny had said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eventually, they had to break apart from one another. Their time together was coming to a close, but he hoped that they wouldn’t become strangers. They had promised after all to write to one another. Despite his eyes being puffy and red from crying, he held his head high. This wasn’t a goodbye. One day, his brother would come to visit him. In the meantime, he would continue to write them letters and await their responses. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>His mother hugged him and cried, which was to be expected. He may or may not have cried again. “I’ll miss you, Omori. Remember mama always loves you, okay?” All he could do was nod, before making his way to the car. Sunny had decided not to see him off, which was fine. He was grateful that they hugged and actually talked to another for a little bit.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The car started to drive off, his mother waving at him. He waved back, and then, he saw them. He saw his brother at the window with Mewo in his arms, both of them waving goodbye at him. At that, he smiled as silent tears rolled down his cheeks.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Sunny had lied. He waited and waited for his brother to respond to his letters and visit him, but... Sunny never did.</p>
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